Yes.

The revised Manual for Streets is currently being developed. Decisions regarding its scope, content and supporting diagrams will be considered and determined as part of that process.

The Government is working to finalise its response and will publish it as soon as possible.

I recognise how distressing it must be for pet owners to lose cats in road collisions, especially when they are unable to find out what has happened.

Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.

However, there are no plans to introduce a legal duty for drivers to report collisions with cats.

E-bikes that do not comply with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 are motor vehicles and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured to be used on public roads. The rider must also wear a safety helmet and hold a driving licence.

The police can seize e-bikes not properly registered as motor vehicles under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. In addition, in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 the Government has strengthened the powers for the police to seize vehicles used anti-socially by removing the need to provide a warning. These powers apply to e-bikes that have been registered as motor vehicles.

The Government plans to review the funding formula that it uses to distribute capital funding to local highways authorities to see whether it can be adjusted to consider, for example, the conditions that affect the wear and tear of local roads.

Highways maintenance block allocations have been made up to and including financial year 2029/30.

The Department has not yet set a date for the review. It will be important to ensure that the review takes place close to the point that allocations for 2030/31 are made to ensure evidence gathered during the review does not become out of date.

When conducting the review, the Department expects to engage with local highway authorities about any future changes to the allocation methodology to understand how any changes might impact on their services.

The Department has published advice for consumers on the safe use of legally compliant e-bikes. This guidance has recently been updated to refer to the industry-led "E-Bike Positive" campaign.

Where e-bikes have been modified to overcome the power and speed restrictions set out in the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations, they are motor vehicles and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured. The rider must also wear a safety helmet and hold a driving licence. The Department has published further advice making this clear, and ultimately the police can seize such e-bikes where they are used on the road without being properly registered as motor vehicles.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Government recognises the benefits that drone technology can provide to policing operations. The Home Office has supported police forces to develop Drone as First Responders (DFR) through funding of the NPCC Drones Programme since 2022. This programme aims to trial and better understand the benefits of these innovative drone capabilities for future police aviation, as well as standardise and professionalise the use of drones across all 43 forces in England and Wales to develop a safe and effective national drone capability for policing.

To date, the Home Office has allocated over £11m to the NPCC Drones programme, and through this, six forces are now operating DFR, all of which are extending into multi-city operations, and an additional eight forces will be coming online this year. The programme will contribute towards a better understanding of the role that future and current drone technology can play as part of police air support, including rural areas.

Though the department has not undertaken its own separate assessment on the operational benefits of drones to policing, we support and oversee the funding for the NPCC Drones programme, who are investigating Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flight, analysing results, and mapping benefits to policing. Therefore, the Home Office has considered evidence provided by policing partners on the operational benefits of drone technology, which indicate improved response times, positive public safety outcomes, and efficient use of police resources. The Government will continue to monitor emerging evidence from the programme and operational deployments to inform future policy development and funding decisions.

Regarding rural crime, this year the programme is focussing on developing a longer-endurance fixed-wing capability, which will provide a more rapid response in large rural areas than current drone capabilities, which are either shorter range or still need to travel to the scene by car. All the benefits drones provide to police operations generally will apply to rural crime, and developing a safe and effective drone capability will strengthen rural policing, improve response times and support enforcement in harder-to-reach areas. However, the programme is proactively working on getting them to rural countryside locations more quickly and ensuring they have the right equipment on board to allow a positive outcome. The programme is also working with the National Rural Crime Unit to ensure that rural crime is appropriately considered when implementing national police use of drone capabilities.

Statistics on drivers killed in road collisions with toxicology results is based on data reported to police using the STATS19 system and data that is received by the Department from coroners and procurators’ fiscal. The latest year for which coroner and procurators’ fiscal data is available is 2024.

The number of a) drivers or riders killed in road collisions, in Great Britain, where toxicology results were available for alcohol or drugs and;

the proportion of all deceased drivers or riders this represents, for each of the last 10 years is provided in the table below.

Note: Pedal cycle riders and horse riders have been filtered out of the data. This is because the current prescribed alcohol and drug limits apply only to drivers of motor vehicles. This only includes drivers or riders aged 16 or above.

Information on (b) the number of killed drivers and riders with toxicology available for alcohol and;

c) the number with toxicology available for drugs area available on GOV.uk in tables 1 and 2 of the report on “Drugs in reported road fatalities in Great Britain”: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-drug-driving-statistics

Through a partnership with The Tree Council, we have invested more than £3 million over the last two years to increase urban tree cover, supporting 28 local authorities and charities to plant street trees and create greener urban spaces so far, with more projects to come this winter. We are also developing future options for planting support for urban trees, to significantly boost the numbers of new trees established on streets across England.

Forestry Commission and the Trees and Design Action Group have published new guidance, which includes practical advice and technical drawings on designing and constructing effective tree pits for both new build streetscapes and urban retrofits.

An assessment of the potential effect of construction traffic, including Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), on the local road network was undertaken as part of the Development Consent Order application for the Lower Thames Crossing. This is set out in Chapter 8 of the project's Transport Assessment.

To mitigate impacts on local roads, an offline haul road network is being implemented to reduce the level of construction traffic. Construction traffic is managed through a suite of control documents, and detailed plans for the works underway have been signed off by the Secretary of State following consultation with relevant stakeholders, including Thurrock Council.

The Department has not conducted any research into using connected vehicle technology in this situation.

The number of fatalities in personal injury road collisions, in Great Britain as reported by the police using the STATS19 system between 2016 and 2025 (the latest year for which data is available) where a driver or rider was assigned “affected by drugs” is given in the table below:

Within STATS19, the number of collisions where drivers were affected by drugs are based on road safety factor data. This includes illegal and legal drugs. It is not possible to separate them in the road safety factor data.

Since 2023, road safety factors (RSFs) have started to replace the previous system of contributory factors (CFs). As of 2025, not all police forces are recording RSFs, but instead using the older CF specification.

The change of specification has resulted in differences in the levels of reporting for some factors and as such comparisons to data from recent years should be made with caution.

The estimated number of collisions and fatalities in personal injury drink-drive collisions for Great Britain between 2015 and 2024 (the latest figures available) are given in the table below.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 10:

Note figures in the table are rounded to the nearest 10

Within STATS19, the number of collisions where drivers were over the legal alcohol limit are based on the results of breath tests conducted by the police at the scene of personal injury road collisions and combined with data from coroners and procurators’ fiscal on blood alcohol levels of those killed in collisions.

National Highways has assessed the potential impacts of the Lower Thames Crossing on the road network during construction, including on local roads in South Basildon and East Thurrock. The assessment is set out in Chapter 8 of the Transport Assessment and the Community Impacts Report.

Construction impacts are managed through a suite of control documents, including the Framework Construction Travel Plan and the Outline Traffic Management Plan for Construction. Furthermore, the Wider Network Impacts Management and Monitoring Plan sets out the approach to monitoring traffic impacts on the road network. This monitoring will be undertaken within the year before the opening of the Crossing, a year after opening, and five years after opening, with data provided to the relevant highway authorities.

National Highways has assessed the potential impacts of the Lower Thames Crossing on the road network during construction, including on local roads in South Basildon and East Thurrock. The assessment is set out in Chapter 8 of the Transport Assessment and the Community Impacts Report.

Construction impacts are managed through a suite of control documents, including the Framework Construction Travel Plan and the Outline Traffic Management Plan for Construction. Furthermore, the Wider Network Impacts Management and Monitoring Plan sets out the approach to monitoring traffic impacts on the road network. This monitoring will be undertaken within the year before the opening of the Crossing, a year after opening, and five years after opening, with data provided to the relevant highway authorities.

National Highways has assessed the potential impacts of the Lower Thames Crossing on the road network during construction, including on local roads in South Basildon and East Thurrock. The assessment is set out in Chapter 8 of the Transport Assessment and the Community Impacts Report.

Construction impacts are managed through a suite of control documents, including the Framework Construction Travel Plan and the Outline Traffic Management Plan for Construction. Furthermore, the Wider Network Impacts Management and Monitoring Plan sets out the approach to monitoring traffic impacts on the road network. This monitoring will be undertaken within the year before the opening of the Crossing, a year after opening, and five years after opening, with data provided to the relevant highway authorities.

The Lower Thames Crossing’s Development Consent Order includes a legally binding Outline Traffic Management Plan. This requires delivery partners to conduct joint inspections of access and diversion routes with the relevant local highway authority before works commence, to ensure their condition is suitable for the anticipated use during construction.

Local highway authorities have powers to recover costs for extraordinary damage to highways. The project aims to minimise such cases through measures including the use of offline haul roads and the strategic road network where practicable. Any issues are addressed on a case-by-case basis, considering the initial condition of the road and the level of affect attributable to the project.

The Government continues to support effective roads policing and road safety enforcement as part of wider efforts to reduce casualties and tackle criminality on the road network. The Department for Transport’s Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, sets out a comprehensive plan to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. Roads policing is recognised as a national policing capability and forces are expected to maintain appropriate capabilities to help prevent harm, save lives and support road safety.

In 2026-27, Dorset Police will receive up to £204.5 million in funding, an increase of up to £8.7 million compared with 2025-26. The deployment of police officers and allocation of roads policing resources, including on the A35 and other roads in West Dorset, are operational matters for the Chief Constable of Dorset Police, who is best placed to assess local threats, risks and demands. The Home Office does not assess roads policing coverage on specific roads or in individual localities and has made no specific assessment of the impact of roads policing levels on the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in West Dorset. It is the responsibility for Police and Crime Commissioners to set local policing priorities and to hold Chief Constables to account.

The Government continues to support effective roads policing and road safety enforcement as part of wider efforts to reduce casualties and tackle criminality on the road network. The Department for Transport’s Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, sets out a comprehensive plan to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. Roads policing is recognised as a national policing capability and forces are expected to maintain appropriate capabilities to help prevent harm, save lives and support road safety.

In 2026-27, Dorset Police will receive up to £204.5 million in funding, an increase of up to £8.7 million compared with 2025-26. The deployment of police officers and allocation of roads policing resources, including on the A35 and other roads in West Dorset, are operational matters for the Chief Constable of Dorset Police, who is best placed to assess local threats, risks and demands. The Home Office does not assess roads policing coverage on specific roads or in individual localities and has made no specific assessment of the impact of roads policing levels on the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in West Dorset. It is the responsibility for Police and Crime Commissioners to set local policing priorities and to hold Chief Constables to account.

The Government continues to support effective roads policing and road safety enforcement as part of wider efforts to reduce casualties and tackle criminality on the road network. The Department for Transport’s Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, sets out a comprehensive plan to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. Roads policing is recognised as a national policing capability and forces are expected to maintain appropriate capabilities to help prevent harm, save lives and support road safety.

In 2026-27, Dorset Police will receive up to £204.5 million in funding, an increase of up to £8.7 million compared with 2025-26. The deployment of police officers and allocation of roads policing resources, including on the A35 and other roads in West Dorset, are operational matters for the Chief Constable of Dorset Police, who is best placed to assess local threats, risks and demands. The Home Office does not assess roads policing coverage on specific roads or in individual localities and has made no specific assessment of the impact of roads policing levels on the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in West Dorset. It is the responsibility for Police and Crime Commissioners to set local policing priorities and to hold Chief Constables to account.

The Government does not maintain, and does not plan to publish, a single consolidated list of all legislative and statutory requirements that apply to the planning and construction of roads.

Doing so would be disproportionate and would duplicate information already available through legislation.gov.uk.

Air pollution contributes to a range of serious health conditions. Addressing this is an important part of creating cleaner, healthier places to live and work. That is why the Government is committed to reducing harmful transport emissions and improving air quality, particularly in communities that are disproportionately affected.

The transition to electric vehicles is expected to reduce air pollution from road transport, because they generate zero tailpipe emissions and lower brake wear emissions due to regenerative braking. The Government has also provided £582 million to support local authorities to improve air quality in areas of nitrogen dioxide exceedances and continues to work with local authorities to achieve compliance with legal nitrogen dioxide limits.

The Government requires nationally significant infrastructure proposals (such as airport expansion) to meet strict environmental requirements on air quality. The Government carefully considers any application in line with relevant national planning processes and policies, including the relevant policy statements which include sections on air quality and health.

The case for investment in Lincolnshire’s strategic road network was considered carefully as part of the process of developing the third Road Investment Strategy, covering the period 2026-2031, which was published in March 2026. The evidence underpinning this work was gathered as part of National Highways’s South Pennines and North and East Midlands Route Strategies. Route Strategies allow National Highways to consider the current performance and future needs of the strategic road network and to inform investment planning. They are revised to inform each five-year Road Investment Strategy period.

Industry estimates indicate that the average cost of repairing a pothole is around £80, although costs can vary significantly depending on the size and location of the defect and the repair method used.

The Government is supporting local highway authorities to reduce the long-term costs associated with potholes by encouraging preventative maintenance and asset management best practice. Through its record £7.3 billion investment in local highways maintenance over the next four years, the Government is providing authorities with the certainty to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term pothole repairs and instead invest in preventative road surface treatments so that roads can be fixed properly and fewer potholes form in the first place.

The Government is also encouraging this approach through transparency reporting, incentive funding and local road maintenance ratings. To receive their full funding allocation, local highway authorities are required to publish transparency reports setting out information on the condition of their roads, how they maintain their networks and how they are adopting best practice, including in relation to preventative maintenance and asset management. The Department's rating system provides a further incentive for authorities to adopt best practice and supports continuous improvement across the sector.

Where more than one Section 16A application is made in a calendar year for the same stretch of highway, the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 states the Secretary of State must approve the closure.

The Government has set out its intention to publish a White Paper which will consider further devolution of decision-making powers and functions in due course.

Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, multiple events can be included within a single temporary traffic regulation order.

The Government has set out its intention to publish a White Paper which will consider further devolution of decision-making powers and functions in due course.

A road scheme is considered cancelled where a final decision has been taken not to proceed. This was the definition used for the Answer to Question 15009 on 6 July 2026. The termination of a delivery contract does not fall within that definition.

There is no reason for local government reorganisation to impact funding for the Hykeham Relief Road. Commitments undertaken by existing councils will become the responsibility of the new unitary authorities. Councils should continue to operate in accordance with their agreed medium-term financial plans throughout the transition period.

Any expansion at Heathrow Airport, would be privately financed, including any required surface access improvements. The draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement requires any promoter of expansion to meet the full cost of associated works to the strategic and local road network and to develop a surface access strategy setting out how transport improvements, including any rail schemes needed to support the required mode share targets, will be funded.

The Government has been clear that if Heathrow expansion proceeds it will be privately financed. Any works required to the strategic or local road networks, including the M25, would form part of the promoter’s cost estimates for its scheme. The costs of such works will depend on the final scheme design brought forward by the promoter and would be subject to scrutiny through the development consent process.

During development of the Highways (Financing) Bill, my Department has engaged with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of major businesses, road haulage and logistics companies, local authorities, and other relevant groups. This was to assist with policy development. My officials will continue to engage with key stakeholders during Bill passage.